At Any Cost
by jonsmom14
Summary: My AU version of Ryan coming home in season two's "The Distance"


Theresa's heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn't let Ryan get on that plane to Portland. She knew that if he did, he would never be able to walk away from the Cohen's a second time. She couldn't lose Ryan again. He belonged with her – he had always belonged with her.

Theresa had been out with Eddie the day that Ryan had called for a place to stay. She had come home and found out that Ryan was gone. Later she learned that he was living with his rich lawyer. Eva, her mother, had come home to a wrecked house and a furious daughter. There was no way Theresa would have ever let Ryan leave town if she had known. She would have broken up with Eddie, but he was pretty good in bed, and if she couldn't have Ryan then Eddie would do.

It hadn't taken long before Theresa had figured out a plan to lure Ryan back. At first she thought that slut Marissa might be a problem, but the little princess had done Theresa's work for her. Ryan was very upset with his ex-girlfriend, and Theresa was just the comfort that he needed at the time.

Still, Theresa had needs, so while she was working to lure Ryan back into her control Eddie was still good for a roll in the hay. She hadn't planned on getting pregnant. Theresa knew that the baby was Eddie's. She was farther along than she was admitting. The doctors just thought that the baby was undersized when actually she or he was a couple weeks ahead of schedule in size. That worked out just fine for Theresa.

Eddie attacking Ryan couldn't have been better. It proved to Ryan that his former friend was violent. All she had to do was insult her lover and compare him to Ryan to get him to blacken her eye. Then a quick call to Sandy, a few leading statements, and Ryan was ready to do anything to protect her from the suddenly evil Eddie.

There was no way that Theresa could allow Ryan to go to Portland after that little brat. She knew that Ryan was unhappy, but Theresa was living her dream – playing house with the hottest guy in Chino. All of her friends were green with envy and Theresa wasn't willing to step down from her current throne yet.

Theresa desperately tried to think of a way to keep Ryan there. He obviously wasn't going to stay just because she had a checkup. Ryan opened the refrigerator to refill his juice and Theresa saw the egg carton. An insidious idea flickered into her head.

"You can't get on a plane before you eat something. What if there's a delay with the flight? Sit down and I'll fix you some eggs." Theresa urged.

"You don't have to do that. I can fix myself something." Ryan argued.

"Ryan I have all these maternal feelings going on. I really want to do this for you – please." Theresa begged.

Ryan sighed and nodded.

Theresa grinned. "I've got to pee real quick and I'll be right back to cook them."

"Don't say _pee_." Ryan declared automatically with a smile.

"Huh?" Theresa stopped. She watched as Ryan seemed to realize where he was.

"Sorry, it's just something that the Cohen's do – never mind." Ryan's shoulders slumped and he took a seat at the table with his juice. The moment of levity was over and brooding Ryan was back.

This just sealed it in Theresa's mind. There was no way Ryan was going anywhere near the Cohen's. He belonged to her. She hurried into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She waited for a moment and then flushed the toilet. After that she turned on the faucet so that Ryan couldn't hear her open the medicine cabinet. Theresa's mother had fallen and broken her leg before Christmas. Eva hated medication because it made her sleepy, so the painkillers were still sitting in the bathroom. Theresa took several of the capsules and opened them in the pocket of her jeans. It took ten of them before she thought she had enough. She needed to put extra in his food so that he would be too tired to leave.

Theresa put the lid back on the bottle and closed the cabinet. She washed the powder off her hands before walking back to the kitchen. Ryan was still sitting at the table. His juice was almost gone. Theresa ran her hand across his back as she passed him on her way to the refrigerator. She took out the eggs and brought them over to the stove. With practiced ease, Theresa began to cook Ryan some breakfast. Theresa glanced over at Ryan and noticed that he was staring down into his juice. She slipped her hand into her pocket and grabbed as much of the powder as she could. She sprinkled the pain killer across the almost finished eggs. Moments later she scooped them onto a plate and set the plate in front of Ryan with a fork.

"Aren't you going to eat any?" Ryan asked.

"I'm not in the mood for eggs. I'll figure out something else." Theresa refused. She watched anxiously as Ryan quickly finished off the tainted breakfast.

Ryan drank the rest of his juice and stood up with his plate. He washed his dishes and put them away in the cabinet. Theresa watched him closely. Ryan glanced at his watch.

"Sandy should be here soon." Ryan commented softly.

Theresa's eyes widened. "What do you mean? I thought you were going alone?"

"Sandy didn't want us to have to pay for a cab. He said that we would fly out together." Ryan explained as he sat back down at the table.

Theresa fought down her instinct to panic. "I could have driven you there." She insisted. "Why don't you call him and tell him that he doesn't have to come all this way."

"He's probably only about ten minutes away now. He was supposed to pick me up at 8:30. Sandy is usually right on time." Ryan informed her as he rubbed his eyes.

Theresa watched Ryan's face pale. Sweat started to break out across his forehead. Ryan reached up with a trembling hand and wiped the droplets away. Just then there was a knock on the door. Ryan stood up, gasping for breath and staggered over to the door. Before Theresa could stop him, Ryan opened the door for Sandy.

Sandy took one look at the teen and wrapped his arm around him. "Ryan! Are you ok?"

Ryan didn't answer, instead his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed against his guardian. Alarmed, Sandy dragged him over to the couch and laid him down. Ryan's gasps turned into wheezing and Sandy reached for his cell phone. After calling an ambulance, Sandy ran his hand over Ryan's clammy forehead and tried to think of something that he could do. Just then the wheezing stopped – so did Ryan's breathing. Sandy quickly rushed into action. He began to breathe for the boy that he thought of as a son. In the back of his mind, he couldn't believe this was happening.

Theresa watched the rich lawyer who had welcomed her into his home a couple of months ago perform CPR on the boy that she was convinced she loved – a boy who had stopped breathing because of her. Theresa's eyes widened in terror Ryan wasn't breathing! He was dying and it was all her fault!

The sirens could be heard now they were getting louder and louder as the ambulance got closer. Theresa was frozen in place as she continued to watch Sandy breathe for Ryan. The door was still open, so the male and female team of paramedics came right into the living room. Sandy relinquished his duties to the professionals and stood next to Theresa. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders in comfort as they both watched the EMTs' attempt to save Ryan's life.

It finally took intubation before the paramedics calmed slightly. While the male worked the balloon to pump air into Ryan's lungs the female looked up at the observers. "Is he on any medication? Has he taken any drugs?" She asked.

"No." Sandy answered swiftly. "He hardly takes aspirin." He informed her.

"Does he have any allergies to medications?" She asked swiftly.

"Yes. He's allergic to codeine." Sandy replied.

"Do you know what his reaction is?" She asked, playing a hunch.

"He has respiratory problems." Sandy recited from his foster son's medical records. Glad he had sat down and read the information about his foster son when Ryan moved in with them. Ryan had almost died when the hospital in Chino had given him codeine to combat the pain from one of Dawn's boyfriend's attacks.

The paramedic's eyes widened. "Are you sure that he hasn't taken anything?" She asked again.

Sandy suddenly understood. He turned to Theresa. "Theresa, is there any chance that Ryan took something this morning by accident?"

Theresa's horror grew as she listened to the paramedic and Sandy converse. She couldn't believe this was happening. Tears gathered in her eyes and she began to sob. "I didn't mean for him to get hurt! I just didn't want him to leave me!" She wailed.

Sandy took her by the shoulders and bent down to look into her face. "What did you give him Theresa? Ryan could die if you don't tell us!" He spoke urgently but quietly.

"Mama had some pain pills that I put in his eggs. I just wanted him to be too tired to go with you!" Theresa explained through hiccupping sobs.

"Where are the pills? How many did you give him?" The paramedic demanded.

"The bathroom cabinet. I don't know how many he got because I put the powder in my pocket after I emptied the capsules." Theresa wailed.

Sandy ran down the hall, banging open doors until he came to the bathroom. He threw open the medicine cabinet, ignoring the shattering glass, and grabbed the three prescription bottles there. When he got back to the living room, the paramedics already had Ryan on a gurney and were transferring him into the ambulance.

Sandy ignored the crying teenage girl standing in the middle of the room and ran out to the ambulance. "I'm coming with you." He declared as the paramedic was about to close the door. "He's my son."

The paramedic nodded and held open the door as Sandy climbed in. He moved to sit next to Ryan, who was still unconscious. The female paramedic continued the pump air into his lungs manually. Sandy ran a hand through Ryan's shaggy hair and watched him anxiously as if he could will him to live.

Eva came home to her door thrown wide open and Theresa sobbing on the floor of the living room. Alarmed, she dropped her purse and knelt next to her daughter.

"Theresa! What's wrong?" Eva demanded as she checked the younger girl over for injuries. "Did you fall?"

Theresa sobbed and shook her head. "I KILLED HIM!" She wailed.

Nearly in a panic, Eva took Theresa by her shoulders and looked into her tear-filled face. "You killed _who_ Theresa?"

"Ryan." Theresa croaked out.

Eva looked around the room as if Ryan would suddenly appear. "Where is he Theresa? Where is Ryan?"

"He's at the hospital. Mr. Cohen just left with him." Theresa explained through her tears.

"What did you do Theresa?" Eva demanded. What had happened while she was gone?

Theresa hiccupped and wiped at her eyes. "I didn't want Ryan to leave me. I knew that if he went to Portland for Seth he would stay with the Cohen's." She began.

Eva could feel dread sweeping through her like a malevolent wind. "What did you do to Ryan, Theresa?"

Theresa stared down at the floor. "I drugged his eggs with your painkillers." She admitted.

Eva gasped and swore that her heart literally stopped beating for a moment. Theresa noticed the devastation on her mother's face and rushed to explain.

"I just wanted him to sleep through his flight. Then he wouldn't be able to go and everything would return to normal! Don't you see Mama? He belongs to us – not them! They stole him last summer and I was just making sure that he was back where he belonged." Theresa declared.

Eva backed up from her daughter and stared horrified into her glazed eyes. When had Theresa become like this? She was speaking about Ryan as if he were no more than a picture on the wall! Had the pregnancy made her this way? As Theresa continued to rant about Ryan belonging to her, Eva went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. She dialed a therapist that she knew from her volunteer work at the shelter and asked for help.

Sandy sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair and held his head in his hands. He still couldn't wrap his brain around the idea that his son had not been breathing on his own. How had a day that started out so promising come to this? The doctors had assured him that they had pumped Ryan's stomach, but due to the respiratory arrest, they were keeping him on oxygen until they were sure there were no other adverse affects from the painkillers. He was waiting for them to finish moving Ryan to a private room.

"Sandy? Where is he? Where's Ryan?" A demanding voice exclaimed through the busy waiting room.

Sandy looked up to see his wife rushing towards him. He stood and enveloped her in his arms. He desperately clung to her. "He's going to be ok. They're moving him to a private room right now."

"What happened, Sandy?" Kirsten asked softly.

Sandy sighed and took her hand. He led her back to the chairs he had just risen from. Once both he and Kirsten were seated, Sandy looked down at their joined hands and sighed.

"I went to pick Ryan up to take him to the airport so that he and Theresa wouldn't have to worry about paying for a taxi. When I got there, Ryan looked pale and sweaty. He was breathing hard like he couldn't get enough air. I hadn't even entered the house and Ryan collapsed. I got him over to the couch and called an ambulance. That was when he stopped breathing. I had to do CPR until the paramedics got there." Sandy paused as Kirsten gasped in alarm.

"The paramedic asked if Ryan had taken anything. We finally got out of Theresa what happened." Sandy paused. At Kirsten's anxious look, he sighed heavily once again and continued. "Theresa drugged Ryan to keep him from coming to Portland with me. She gave him too much and she gave him codeine. Ryan is allergic to codeine. That's why he stopped breathing."

Kirsten's eyes blazed with fury. "She drugged my son? How dare she? I want him out of there Sandy. I don't give a damn about Theresa and her pregnancy. You get him out of there now!" She declared.

"I agree. Ryan is going to come home no matter what." Sandy assured her.

"What is happening to Theresa?" Kirsten asked tersely.

Sandy shrugged. "I was so focused on Ryan that I wasn't paying much attention. She could possibly be charged with attempted murder, but this wasn't truly premeditated. She claimed she was just trying to make Ryan sleep enough to miss his flight."

"She almost killed our son Sandy. I don't care what her motives were. We allowed Ryan to come here because he wanted to be there for her and the baby. We trusted her with our son and he almost died. Theresa is not coming near Ryan ever again. I want a paternity test. If she was underhanded enough to pull something like this then who's to say that she didn't lie about the baby?" Kirsten ranted.

Sandy nodded. "I know. That has occurred to me too. We'll take care of all that later. Let's just get Ryan healthy first."

As if waiting for her cue, a nurse came into the waiting room. "Family of Ryan Atwood?"

Sandy and Kirsten both stood. "Yes?" Sandy called.

"I can take you to his room now. Ryan is still on oxygen, but his vitals are improving. I'll warn you that he's hooked up to a lot of machines, but they are helping us watch him closely. So far everything looks good." The nurse informed them as they followed her through the maze of hallways towards their son.

The nurse led them to a room with a large wooden door. She pushed it open and Sandy and Kirsten were allowed to finally see their son. Kirsten gasped at the sight of him. Ryan was pale and despite his muscular appearance, he seemed so young and vulnerable in the hospital bed. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose. There was a soft beeping that kept with the rhythm of his heartbeat. Kirsten's eyes filled with tears as she laid eyes on her son for the first time in months. Ryan shouldn't be here at all.

Curbing her anger at the thought of who put her son in that bed, Kirsten crossed the room and placed her hand on Ryan's arm and leaned forward to brush her lips across his forehead. "I've missed you so much." She whispered.

Kirsten was startled when Ryan opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Missed you too." Ryan replied softly through the mask. He blinked slowly and then began to look around. "What happened?" He asked.

Kirsten glanced back at her husband, not sure what she should say. Sandy sighed and stepped up to the bed next to her. He placed his hand on Ryan's leg and squeezed it gently through the covers.

"Theresa didn't want you to go to Portland. She emptied several capsules of Eva's painkillers and put them in your breakfast. They contained codeine." Sandy explained and watched as Ryan's eyes widened in understanding. "When I got there, you collapsed and then stopped breathing. I had to perform CPR until the paramedics could get there. Theresa told them what she had done. She said that she only meant for you to sleep through your flight."

Ryan closed his eyes as if in pain. "She didn't know that you were supposed to pick me up. That's why she kept saying that she would drive me herself. I can't believe that she would do something like this."

"Ryan I know that we had agreed to let you stay with Theresa and help, but I can't allow you to go back there. We can't trust that Theresa wouldn't do something else to hurt you – and we aren't going to be taking any chances with you life. We love you too much for that." Kirsten stated, determination coloring her tone.

Ryan opened his eyes and stared at the woman who had become a mother to him. "I love you too." He said softly through the mask. "I – I want to come home." He admitted.

Kirsten ran a hand through his hair and smiled down at him. "That's the most wonderful thing you've ever said to me." She informed him softly.

It was late in the afternoon when Ryan woke up next. Kirsten and Sandy were both right there with him. Seeing that he was awake, Kirsten smiled softly and offered her son a sip of water. When he drank his fill, he relaxed back on the pillow.

Kirsten carded her fingers through Ryan's hair. "You're looking a little better."

Ryan smiled tiredly before his expression turned serious. "What's going to happen to Theresa?"

Before Sandy or Kirsten could reply, there was a knock on Ryan's door. They turned to see Eva standing nervously in the doorway. She smiled weakly at the Cohen's. "I just wanted to check on Ryan and make sure he was going to be alright. I'm so sorry that Theresa did this." She exclaimed sadly.

Kirsten's heart went out to the other woman. She was obviously distressed by the actions of her daughter. The blond looked down at her son, thankful that he had so much integrity. Ryan glanced up at her and silently asked if he could speak to the woman who had looked out for him so much growing up. Kirsten smiled down at him and ran a hand over his hair before nodding. Sandy, who had seen the exchange also smiled at Ryan and then took Kirsten's arm and escorted her to the opposite side of the room. They didn't think that Theresa's mother would do anything to hurt Ryan, but they were feeling overprotective at the moment.

Eva slowly approached Ryan's bed, wringing her hands anxiously. Her eyes filled with tears as she took in all the machines and the oxygen mask. "Oh Ryan, mi querido muchacho, I'm so sorry that Theresa did this to you!"

"It's not your fault Eva." Ryan consoled her.

"I don't know where I went wrong with her." Eva sniffled and then straightened up and pulled herself together. "I also came by to let you know that I checked Theresa into the hospital for psychiatric evaluation. She – she's not well. I don't even know the girl that would do something like this. She seemed to have a nervous breakdown, and I didn't know how else to help her."

"I'm so sorry." Ryan whispered, stunned that his long-time friend was having so much trouble.

Eva laid her hand on the teen's arm. "You have been nothing short of wonderful mi niño. Theresa should never have even asked you to come back to Chino. Ryan you now have a family who will take care of you properly. I did not raise my daughter to be so selfish." The older woman shook her head sadly.

"I wanted to be there for the baby." Ryan assured her.

Eva smiled tearfully. "Ryan, are you sure that the baby is yours?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, the dates are right." He told her.

Eva sighed. "I was afraid of that. Ryan when I first took Theresa to the hospital, they ran some tests to make sure that the baby was still ok despite Theresa's emotional breakdown. They have more sophisticated equipment here than at the clinic. Theresa is actually a month farther along than she claimed. She was still living in Chino when she conceived."

Ryan closed his eyes as if he were in pain. "She lied?" He croaked.

Eva sniffled and nodded. "Yes. She claims that you belonged to her and she had to bring you back."

Ryan stared at Theresa's mother in shock. When had Theresa become this person? He felt sick. He had put the Cohen's through all of this pain for nothing. His best childhood friend was a stalker!

Seeing his distress, Kirsten hurried across the room and gently nudging Eva out of the way, she wrapped her arms around Ryan and held him close. At the feel of those comforting arms, Ryan lost his tight reign on his emotions and sobbed into her shoulder. His body was still weak from his ordeal and it wasn't long before he was gasping for breath despite the oxygen.

Alarmed, Sandy rushed out the door and flagged down a nurse. A few moments and a sedative later, Ryan was resting comfortably in the bed once again. Apologizing profusely for upsetting their son, Eva left the Cohen's alone with the sleeping teen.

Kirsten and Sandy watched Ryan sleep for a moment before she motioned her husband to the door. Once they were in the hallway, Kirsten gave him a stern look. "Two things: first, I want a restraining order against Theresa. I don't want her anywhere near either of our boys."

Sandy nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"Good. Secondly, I want you to get on the first flight to Portland and bring Seth home. I want both my sons under our roof where I can keep an eye on them. I'm through negotiating. It's time for the Cohen home to become a dictatorship." Kirsten declared.

Sandy knew better than to argue with The Kirsten. Besides, when Seth heard that Ryan was home – well Sandy didn't think it would take very much convincing. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised.

Kirsten returned the kiss and then watched her husband walk down the hallway. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to Ryan's room. She would remain by her son's side until he was ready to come home.

my dear boy

my child

Finis


End file.
